Client Won't Pay For Domain Names

[kulture]

There is no point raising hearsay other than to give an indication as to what kind of company it is. You cannot use it in court. As has been suggested, they are not a customer worth having. Tell them to pay up and go. Provide access to them to move their site etc away from your hosting. Send a letter advising them that the ssl certs are due for renewal an that you will not do this.

 

[BobbyBoy]

Hi toms Biz

My advice would be to use the governments online money claim service

Search online for 'money claim online'

Its easy and cheap to make a claim against people who owe you money and I've found that just getting a letter from the court notifying them of your claim is enough to get payment.

Best of luck

Bobby

 

[webstore]

When you say "I have a client that transferred domain names to me" do you mean they have transfered management to you or transferred ownership ? For example if the whois records at say networksolutions.com or nominet.org.uk (assuming you are refering to domains covered by those) give your name, address, email etc they are yours. But if not then your client could easily move them away from you.

Whatever, the best way to try and get your money is to go the online Small Claims Court root at moneyclaim.gov.uk

 

[smo]

I'm amazed that this has gone on for so long.

Stand by your guns and simply stop their hosting for overdue fees - you are legally allowed to do so and they have no comeback providing you are correct and they haven't paid, no if's no buts.

As for the domains, you own them so keep them but dont continue their hosting even if they pay their old invoices, as soon as their current hosting expires tell them to go elsewhere, also if they havent taken a recent copy of their site, tough, you dont have to provide it once hosting has expired - again nothing they can do.

So to summarise:

Shut their sites down NOW
Keep their domains, you own them and they have no claim to them.
Dont give them squat unless paid in advance, this includes a copy of "their" site.

Stop letting them push you around, dont waste money on solicitors as they dont have a leg to stand on and can go swivel.

 

[Chris Ashdown]

Please dont try and keep the domain names you may well find you open a minefield and end up waisting many hours on the problems

Just get all old invoices paid and drop customer, why keep a pain in the arse when you can have happy clients who respect your work and costs

Turn off as said before, the next day he will pay up to get back online then give him a free week to go elsewhere and transfer domain to him and then walk and be happy for the rest of your life

Spend new free time writing better contracts for new customers

 

[saxondale]

Please dont try and keep the domain names you may well find you open a minefield and end up waisting many hours on the problems

Just get all old invoices paid and drop customer, why keep a pain in the arse when you can have happy clients who respect your work and costs

Turn off as said before, the next day he will pay up to get back online then give him a free week to go elsewhere and transfer domain to him and then walk and be happy for the rest of your life

Spend new free time writing better contracts for new customers

as the man says, dont play games just let them have what they need to continue somewhere else.

 

[office man]

Do a simple one page holding page that states that 'this page has been taken offline due to the owners failture to pay their bills' - send them a PDF of what will go on the page if they don't pay (legally you have warned them).

Forgive the bluntness but you are coming across as 'pussy footing' around and very indecisive here on the forum, its no wonder they are walking all over you (they'll be laughing away at you with the impresssion you won't follow through).

Stand up for yourself and stop being bullied - business is tough and sometimes you just have to get tough and roll up your damn sleeves.

Hope this inspires you - I wouldn't mess around with the weeks notice either; email them and tell them they have 24 hours before YOU update YOUR domain name.

Go get em tiger........

 

[iklelamb]

Great post 'office man'. Direct and to the point.

I had trouble with a client not wanting to pay for hosting in the past and did exactly what you described. They paid within a couple of days.

Don't be scared of people saying they would take legal action, as long as you have records of communication then your in the driving seat.

 

[unet]

Tom,


Any update on this? Did they pay? did you sell the domains. whats the latest on this
Thanks

 

[Toms-Biz]

To update you - I got my money and some extra without having to go to court.

More details - It had been a failing website when the company asked me if I would take it over and run it for them. I then built it up from nothing to half a millions pounds worth of orders per year.

However, the company got greedy and thought they could get rid of me and replace me with someone on a minimum wage - so saving a few thousand pounds a year.

However, since I stopped working for them and was replaced by the person on a minimum wage, the orders have declined by 90% so losing them several tens of thousands of pounds per month. I know this because I still host the website and see the sales figures.

Of course the person on a minimum wage isn't doing such a good job and the company is also paying for holiday pay and NI. The company isn't actually saving much at all on wages - because I worked without holiday pay and paid my own NI.

It was a false economy by the company who obviously didn't appreciate the very good job I was doing for them. They took my very good sales figures for granted.

I now have to find some work to replace the regular income that I've lost.

 

[Chris Ashdown]

I know this because I still host the website and see the sales figures.


How is this possible or legal?

 

[quikshop]

removed, didn't read the full post